Conflicts of Interest
by Chuckie Anelli
Summary: Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future are accidentally blasted back in time to Angel Grove circa 1996. There they meet the Power Rangers and find themselves pitted against them in battle over differing ideals neither of them right or wrong
1. Prologue

**Prologue:**

"Prep the jump ship for takeoff Hawk." Captain Jonathan Power said to his second in command, Major Matt "Hawk" Masterson in an almost emotionless voice. His tone didn't go unnoticed by the rest of the crew which consisted of Lieutenant Michael "Tank" Ellis and Sergeant Robert "Scout" Baker. Scout and Tank merely looked at each other and shrugged but what was unspoken between them about their commander spoke volumes.

"Yes sir" Hawk said as he flipped various switches and dials. "John, are you sure you want to do this? We should really try to free up that blockade in the 'Passages.' Ambushing Lord Dread's armored column just seems kind of out of place to me." Instead of answering verbally, Captain Power merely glared at Hawk, his eyes dead as his soul. Knowing that his commander wouldn't be swayed, Hawk merely answered, "yes sir" and continued prepping the ship.

Captain Power looked at the seat that used to be crewed by Jennifer "Pilot" Chase and his heart sank deep into his chest. The poker face he wore gave no indication that he was still grieving for his compatriot and would be lover. Though it was six months ago, her death while defying Lord Dread and his henchman Blastarr was still so fresh in his memory that it took a conscious act of will to not break down in front of his teammates.

Finally with all the preparations complete and all the crew members at their stations, the jump ship blasted off for their mission. Each one of the crew was lost in their own thoughts as they rocketed toward their destination. The commonality that each of their thoughts shared however was the loss of their friend Jennifer.

Suddenly, klaxons blared and the ship shuddered violently, throwing each man against their restraints. "What was that?" Captain Power screamed over the din.

"It's Sauron! The blasted machine must've been hiding in the clouds and spotted us." Scout screamed from his instrument panel.

"Firing weapons!" Tank chimed in, furiously working the weapons panel. The ship lurched from each blast of its laser cannons.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Captain Power shouted, falling into the familiar rhythm of command. The ship juked left then right and then left again, desperately trying to avoid the winged, robotic henchman of Lord Dread. Power felt his fury rising at Sauron; every bio-dread and robotic soldier of his arch enemy he hated with a passion he never before felt, not even when his father was killed at the hands of Lord Dread. He was half tempted to climb into the X-7, the attack ship that was attached to the jump ship which could detach as a separate combat unit, or onto one of the hover cycles but he knew that he couldn't afford to be separated from the rest of the crew.

Sweat beaded on Hawk's face as he desperately did his best to keep his friends alive. "John, should I get out and face Sauron one on one?" Hawk said. He was the aerial specialist of the group, his power suit gave him the ability to become a one man, flying arsenal.

"Negative Hawk, maintain the controls. The stakes are too important for us to separate." Power replied. Prep the teleport gate and prepare to engage afterburner on my mark, we're going to have to make a break for it. Scout, tell precisely when Sauron is within one-hundred meters of our rear!"

"Right captain!" Scout replied. He looked to his friend Tank who turned and gave Scout the thumbs up. With each successive hit Sauron made, death seemed to have more and more of a palpable presence within the ship and Scout didn't like that at all. Finally, he saw the moment he was looking for and screamed out, "_Now Captain!" _

Without needing a command from Power, Hawk engaged the throttles and gunned the jump ship toward the waiting teleportation gate ahead of them. In Scout's screen, Sauron was caught in the backwash of the ship's afterburners, screaming a robotic cry of anguish as he tumbled helplessly out of control. Inside the ship, the team cheered as the ship entered the teleportation gate, bound for the west coast of what used to be the United States.

Something caught Scout's eye as strange as he saw Sauron's eyes glow a deep red and emit a tight, focused beam at the ship. No, at the gate. "Captain, something's…" He never got to finish that sentence as the ship jerked so violently that it slammed his head against the control panel, making his vision vanish in a sea of blackness.

As the gate closed behind them, the ship was buffeted by shockwaves of unknown and unfamiliar origin. Everyone on the ship knew something was dreadfully wrong. "Brace yourselves, we're going down!" Hawk screamed as he fought to gain control of the ship. G-forces pushed everybody into their chairs like a gigantic, invisible hand trying to crush the life from them. There was a loud crash, a flash of bright, white light and mercifully the same darkness that claimed Scout, now claimed the rest of the crew.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: **

The first person to come to was Captain Power and the first thing that greeted him was the acrid smell of smoke. He knew that smell belonged to frying circuits within the control panels. "Damn!" He screamed as he unbuckled himself from his seat and raced to get the nearby fire extinguisher. His head was still light from the wreck but as he moved, he was surprised and grateful that no bones were broken. He sprayed the nearby fires with the extinguisher, putting them out.

Satisfied that the ship wouldn't blow up after shutting down all unnecessary systems, he went to check on each of his teammates. Relief washed over him when he found that all of them were alive and relatively unhurt, just shaken up. Scout had a lump on his head but no concussion from what he could see, he'd be fine. "Good, because I need every man functional" he thought to himself.

"Status and damage reports everybody. Scout, go with Tank and check the exterior of the ship for any major external damage, see if we can't get her flying again." Power ordered. Tank nodded, helped Scout to his feet and went outside. "Hawk, you okay buddy?" He asked, laying a hand on the one who had been the closest thing to a father to him since his real father died.

"Yeah, I'll live. My butt is sore from the hard landing but I'm good enough to kick Dread in the teeth."

"Good to hear it. Let's join Tank and Scout outside and do an inventory of our stuff."

The two went outside. Power took out his holo-map but something struck him as odd as he looked at the landscape. It was barren desert; from the best he could determine, they were in the Mojave Desert, way off course from where they should've been which was the town formerly known as Gardena. He compared what he saw with his eyes with what was on the map and got a feeling of uneasiness.

"Something the matter John?" Hawk asked, seeing the expression on Power's face and feeling concern himself.

"I don't think we're where we're supposed to be. Sauron must've somehow knocked us off course."

"Well, where are we Captain?" Tank asked in his deep voice with a heavy Scandinavian accent. From his size alone, he lived up to his moniker "Tank" easily, not to mention that he was the team's heavy weapon's specialist. His power suit carried the most and most powerful armaments.

Power scanned the area and took a deep breath before answering. "Well, best as I can tell, we're in California but the topography is off somehow. Not only that, do you guys smell that?"

They all sniffed the air, trying to figure out what their leader was talking about. "I don't smell anything Captain." Scout said.

"That's just it Scout, there's nothing to smell. The air is actually fresh, no burning. With the plasma fires that Dread used to scorch the landscape of California in the Metal Wars, we should still be smelling burning material, the air is…..well, it's fresh." Power replied.

In the distance, they could hear a low, throaty roar coming from the west. With practiced efficiency coming from a lifetime of combat, they all dove down toward a nearby rock formation. Power peeked his head over the rocks and saw black smoke and recognized the roar as an engine. What he saw almost knocked him down to his haunches. "I don't believe it…." He muttered.

At that, they all took a look at what had Power so flabbergasted and then they all shared his state of mind. What they saw was a truck, or more importantly, a semi-truck from the late twentieth century, two hundred years before any of them were born. "How is that functioning, let alone moving unimpeded without Dread's forces blowing it up?" Scout asked amazed. "And where is Sauron?"

"I'd like to know the answer to the first question, as far as your second; well some things are best left unanswered." Hawk said, chucking Scout on the shoulder. The two of them chuckled.

Despite the jocularity of his crew, Power decided that Scout had made valid observations. He had a funny feeling in his gut. When a minute later, another vehicle, this time Power recognized it as a Volkswagen, drove by, that feeling grew stronger. He couldn't believe what he was thinking but the pieces seemed to fall, logically into place. "Scout, grab the provisions and cloak the jump-ship, we're going to take a little recon down that strip of road those vehicles are driving on. As he said that, yet another vehicle zoomed by.

"What's going on Captain?" Tank asked. There was no nervousness in his question but there was concern.

"A hunch Tank but if I'm right, this can have greater implications than anything, anyone could ever imagine. Saddle up people!" Scout passed out the water and food and the quartet marched along the road, the sun mercifully setting ahead of them.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: **

Shortly after a three mile hike, no problem for them, Power and his team reached to what was their surprise, a fully operational gas station. It was like something they'd only seen in the holo-vids. Faint music streamed out of the ramshackle place; a wooden door creaked on its hinges in the barely blowing wind. They took a look around their surroundings: white sands constantly shifting framed by sun blasted mountains.

To others, the sight might've looked desolate but to them it was a welcome if not confusing sight. On a hunch, Captain Power took off his gunbelt and motioned for the others to do the same. Trusting their leader, they did as they were instructed and did not question. They stashed the weapons in a dark corner of a shed.

Following the captain inside, the quartet stepped through the creaking door; the music was louder inside and coming from a weird object that struck them as curious. "A jukebox!" Hawk exclaimed as strode over to it. Besides the music and the smell of cooking food, the place was seemingly abandoned. Old battle instincts died hard in the group as they were on edge and readied themselves for an ambush.

When a kindly old lady came from the back room, they all jumped. "Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't realize I had customers! I was so busy in the back; I didn't hear you come in." She said. "Please, make yourselves comfortable. Can I get you anything to drink?"

They were all slightly taken aback by this and weren't sure as to how to answer. "Uh…we'll just take some water ma'am." Hawk replied.

"Oh, have you come from Beale?" She asked. They all looked at her and then at each other in puzzlement. "Your uniforms, you guys are in the military right? You come from Beale Air Force Base?" she inquired again as they looked down at themselves.

"Uh, yes ma'am that's right, we do come from Beale. We're uh…we're on leave." Scout said. This answer seemed to satisfy her and she went in the back. She came back a short time later with four glasses of water. They all tentatively took a sip and was surprised by how it tasted. It wasn't the recycled stuff that they were used to, it was…fresh. They downed their glasses greedily, eager to wash away the dust of the road.

The waitress smiled in amusement. "Well you boys take a look at the menu while I fetch you more water; you guys seem to like that." She said and returned to the back.

As she walked back, a errant piece of paper caught Tank's eye. On impulse, he retrieved it and stared at it intently, his eyes growing wider with each passing second. "Guys…" he said as he returned with the paper.

"What do you got there Tank?" Scout asked with a mixture of concern and curiosity. Tank didn't reply but merely laid the paper which it turned out to be a newspaper. They all took a look at it, specifically where Tank was pointing. Their eyebrows collectively rose up as they looked at the date. Scout let out a low whistle.

"Guys, are we hallucinating?" Tank asked. Meanwhile, Power got up from the table, rubbing his chin in deep thought.

Hawk looked at Power; the feeling in his gut knew that he didn't like what his commander was going to say. Still, he asked anyway, "John, what are you thinking?"

For a long moment, Captain Power paused, trying to figure out how to frame his answer. Then finally, "I don't want to believe it but all of the evidence seems to fit. It seems that we've traveled through time."

There was silence at the table as they tried to wrap their heads around Captain Power's words. "But that's impossible!" Scout exclaimed. Hawk motioned for him to be quiet which Scout became sheepish.

"Is it Scout? I'm not exactly sure how, but when Sauron disrupted our teleportation field with whatever he used, it must've caused a rip in the space/time continuum and blew us back here to 1996, a whole two-hundred years before we were even born." Before the rest could reply, Power held up his hand. "The evidence seems to fit the hypothesis doesn't it? The air's cleaner, no bio-dreads patrolling the skies, no lingering fires from Dread's scorched earth campaign. Scout, see if you can pick up any of the resistance's comm signals."

Scout did as he was commanded and produced his communicator. After a few moments he put it away and shook his head. "I can't seem to raise anyone on the comm. All I seem to get is static."

"That's because the resistance doesn't exist yet." Power replied. "We're in 1996 now; I don't have to tell you the implications of that." He turned his back to the group as he stared at the view outside the window deep in contemplative thought.

"So what's the play John? We can't stay here, we've got to go back; there's a war going on that we have to win." Hawk said.

Power didn't hear Hawk. His thoughts were on Jennifer Chase's last words and how his guts tore themselves to pieces every time he thought of her and what went unsaid between them. They drifted on the last time he saw his father and the gaping hole in his life that his father used to fill. He thought of all of the men, women and children he'd seen die at the hands of Lord Dread and his evil machines.

Suddenly, a plan crystallized in his head. "You're right Hawk, there is a war going on and it's a war we're not going to win." The group looked at the captain surprised and even hurt that he would say that. "No, we're not going to win because we won't have to win. I don't know if it was God, fate, or just dumb luck that brought us here but doesn't matter. We're going to prevent this war from ever happening."

The waitress returned to find four empty glasses of water and a thank you note. Other than that, it seemed like the men had never been there in the first place. "Huh, didn't even get a chance to bring out some rolls for them." She muttered as she collected the glasses off the table.


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

It was a clear, sunny day in Angel Grove California; it was usual fare for the fair city. If you ask its citizens, they couldn't even tell you the last time it rained. Adam Park was going to meet his friends, Rocky DeSantos and Tanya Sloan at the "Burger Shack," their current favorite hang out. He couldn't get a hold of their other friend, Kat Hillard and he knew that Tommy Oliver was interning at Dynasystems, a laboratory on the other side of town. "As long as no machines attack today, it might actually be a good day for once." Adam said to himself as he strolled to the meeting place.

Upon seeing their friend, Tanya smiled and waved while Rocky with a mouthful of cheeseburger gave Adam a nod of welcome. Adam laughed as he saw his friend chowing down on the burger. "You've gotta be kidding me Rocky! You couldn't wait five minutes until we all started eating?"

"I worked super hard in the gym today and I was starving! What do you want from me?" Rocky said in between bites. This got Tanya and Adam to laugh even harder.

"So after lunch, what do we have on tap for today?" Adam asked, specifically to Tanya. Tanya was the group's social butterfly so by proxy, event coordinator. The waitress came by and he ordered a burger.

"Well, Tommy gets off at six and Kat will join us in about an hour, she's getting her hair done. After that, I figured we'd catch the new zombie movie at the theater. How does that…grab you?" She replied, grabbing Adam's muscular arm for emphasis. He and Rocky both groaned at the pun.

"Please, no more _pun_ishment Tanya." Rocky replied. Adam high fived his friend for the witty response. "Seriously though, that sounds like a good plan. I've wanted to watch this movie for a while since I heard it was coming out three months ago." The other nodded an agreement and worked to catch up to Rocky and his half eaten meal.

Meanwhile, Tommy Oliver was documenting an ongoing experiment as part of his duties as a laboratory assistant. "Thomas, how's it going down there?" A voice called from above. Tommy looked up to see Dr. Peter Taggart waving to him from above. Tommy waved back.

"Pretty good Dr. Taggart, looks like the laser is showing zero energy bleed off. If it holds up, your experiment should be a success!"

Dr. Taggart smiled at his protégé. "In no small part thanks to you Thomas. You've worked really hard and have been a big help in the lab. Don't think this has gone unnoticed. I'll be sure to give you a good recommendation letter for wherever you go."

Tommy smiled bashfully. He appreciated the kudos but it embarrassed him. It was his nature to be humble so he couldn't help it. "Aw man Dr. Taggart, that's not necessary, I just enjoy working here. Besides, your laser experiment sounds really exciting. There's no telling how many applications this laser has. It has great potential to help people or better humanity. I just hope nobody uses it as a weapon. "

"So do I Thomas, so do I." Dr. Taggart replied and went back into his office. As Tommy went back to his duties, the door exploded inward and a stream of "Cogs," robotic minions of King Mondo, an alien despot bent on conquering the Earth, swarmed in.

It was obvious to Tommy what the Cogs wanted. His eyes drifted toward the laser and back to the Cogs. "No way guys, you can't have it!" he shouted and leapt into the fray. Tommy became a whirling dynamo of kicks and punches, knocking the robotic backward and dodging their slow but precise strikes. "Man I sure miss fighting Putties!" He said as he backflipped away from a devastating kick a Cog nearly connected with. "Dr. Taggart, get out of here and call for help! I'll handle these guys!"

"Thomas, what about…"

"_Just go!" _Tommy cried. His moment of distraction caused a Cog to connect with a punch to the jaw which sent him reeling against some lab equipment. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Dr. Taggart amble away. Satisfied that he was out of sight, he stood straighter. "Alright, no more Mr. Nice Guy!" Tommy said as he tore off his lab coat and produced his morpher. "_It's Morphin Time! Zeo Ranger five, Red!" _He said as he transformed into his alter-ego, the Red Zeo Ranger, leader of the Angel Grove's team of super-heroes, the Power Rangers! From normal, albeit very in shape human, Tommy Oliver became a red clad, superhuman warrior with enhanced strength and durability.

The Cogs instinctively backed off for a moment, knowing that there was a true threat on their hands. They looked at each other and then they charged. Tommy shrugged and met their charge. He leapt in with a flying kick that knocked two of the Cogs to the ground. Upon landing, he knocked another off its feet with a sweep kick and never stopping his motion, he hit a fourth square in its abdomen with a punch powerful enough to dent steel. That Cog went flying through the nearby outer wall.

Pain and a shower of sparks caused Tommy to cry out and stumble against a nearby desk. He was glad he was morphed otherwise the sword that the Cog used to cut with him would've killed him. It hurt but he was uninjured and more importantly, _alive. _"Okay, so that's how you want to play it!" Tommy shouted, producing his Zeo Saber. He again charged this time cutting through all of the Cogs with ridiculous ease.

While Tommy was driving the horde of Cogs back, an errant one produced a blaster. "_No!" _Tommy shouted as he withdrew his Zeo laser. The two fired at the same time and amazingly, the blasts collided in mid-air, producing an explosion so powerful that it knocked everyone around like leaves in a hurricane. Even through the star shaped tinted visor on his helmet, Tommy was blinded by the flash and then everything went black.

How Tommy felt when started coming to was like he was moving through molasses. He groaned as he got to a sitting position. Surveying the area, he saw that there were multiple holes through the thick stone walls of the lab. Strewn about lab were parts of the Cogs; some of their mechanical limbs twitched while others lay still. Tommy looked down at himself and found that he was de-morphed; he figured the force of the explosion was greater than what his suit could take but he was relatively unharmed save for a couple of bruises.

A low moan from above caught Tommy's attention. Fear gripped his insides as he struggled to his feet, hoping he wouldn't find what he knew he'd find. He found Dr. Taggart half buried beneath some rubble. "No, oh no." Tommy said as he desperately started clearing the rubble off of his friend. "Somebody get some help!" he screamed.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: **

"Mentor, pull up the datafile on Dr. Lyman Taggart, aka 'Lord Dread.'" Captain Power said, referring to the group's artificially intelligent super computer. It was still weird to the team to see Mentor appear above the main console of the jump ship. His home used to be at the "Power Base" but it was destroyed by Lord Dread's troops. At the cost of Jennifer "Pilot" Chase's life, Mentor and the spare power suits were able to survive, giving Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future a fighting chance against Dread. Once again, Jonathan Power's gut went cold at the thought of Jennifer's death.

Mentor's avatar appeared at Power's vocal command. He resembled Captain Power's father; indeed, the computer program was the brainchild of Dr. Stuart Gordon Power so it was appropriate that Mentor should look like him. "Processing Captain" came the reply from the computer. "Files retrieved. What sort of information are you looking for?"

"History on Dr. Lyman Taggart if you please, or more specifically, genealogical data." Replied Power.

Hawk suddenly realized what was going on and looked at his friend with concern. "John, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking are you?"

"And what exactly am I thinking Hawk?"

"That you're going to find and kill Lord Dread's descendants so that Dread can never be born. I am right aren't I? Please tell me I'm wrong John. In the name of God, please tell me I'm wrong."

The others looked at the conversation with a mixture of curiosity and dread but they stayed silent. Tank and Scout were each too lost in their own thoughts on this development to properly field a suggestion…yet. Meanwhile, the expression on Power's face mimicked a statue. Tank realized that he would never want to play poker against him with that kind of face.

"John, we're _not _monsters. Think about what you're suggesting! You're talking about killing someone for something he hasn't even done yet! It would be one thing if we went back right before Taggart became Lord Dread, _maybe _I could justify this but this…"

Power turned to his friend, his expression changed from impassivity to a mixture of sadness, weariness and anger. "Hawk, how many lives would we be saving if we eliminated this…." He pointed to the holo image of the Taggart family tree or more specifically, a single name. "This Peter Taggart. If we do this, the war will have _never happened _Hawk! If Dread never existed, your son would still be alive!" He turned to Scout and gripped him by the shoulder. "Your mom would still be alive, you would have never had to live running from burnt out building from burnt out building, hiding from bio dreads!" At that, Scout cast his eyes down to the deck in deep thought in remembrance of his lost family.

He turned to Tank with that same passion. "Tank, you grew up in that hell hole Babylon Five, thanks to Lord Dread. How many people have you loved and lost because of that maniac?" Tank started to say something but stopped himself. He had to admit, his leader put forth a compelling argument.

"If Dread never existed, he could've never linked himself to Overmind and corrupted it with his greed. How many millions of people would still be alive if Dread never existed? Jennifer would still be here…." The coldness in his gut turned into an ice age. He slammed his fist against the console making it jump slightly. "Hawk, you say we're not monsters. We have a chance, right here, right _now _to put things right and save _millions of people _in the process. If we neglect this chance, if we let humanity suffer to take some sort of 'high road,' doesn't that make us monsters? Tell me that you could live with yourself if you had the chance to save your son and you didn't take it. I can't Hawk. I guarantee I'll have nightmares for the rest of my life and probably eat my own gun if I didn't take this risk here and now."

His pleading eyes looked over every face of his team. He could see the wheels turning in their heads, considering his words. It was all true; each man had lived through their own personal hell because of the Metal Wars. Each had lost somebody close to them and to say that they wouldn't risk anything to make that right, they would be lying to themselves.

"But murder John? Worse, retroactive murder from two-hundred years in the past? It…it just doesn't sit right with me." Hawk said slowly.

"The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few." Tank chimed in, surprising the group. Usually he had a witty pun to keep the group loose, made even funnier by his thick accent. This time, he was all seriousness, no doubt remembering his painful time in Babylon Five which made him a monster of a man and a force to be feared. "If one has to die to save _millions_ of innocent people, I know which side I fall on." He said with such resolve that his voice might as well been made of steel.

Meanwhile, Scout nursed his own pain. Not only did he miss his family, he also missed Pilot as well for he like Captain Power, was in love with her. Because he knew that she loved Power, his love was unrequited and silent. He'd do anything to bring her back to life, even if it meant that he'd never meet her, _anything_. "I agree with Tank. Too many have suffered because of this war, a war that we're losing by the way. If there's a way to end it, quick, final if not clean, I think it's worth the risk." He said.

Finally, all eyes fell onto Hawk. He too wallowed in his pain. Out of all of them, he was the oldest and as such the veteran of the group though all of them had seen enough war and death to last them a thousand lifetimes. He remembered his son and how much he loved him and how quick and brutally he died. He remembered Captain Power's father who was his best friend and how Stuart Power lost his life at the hands of Lord Dread and how he was too late to prevent that. Too much pain and death, he thought to himself. After a long pause he said, "I'm in, let's do this" feeling empty.

There was no rejoicing in the cockpit of the jumpship over their unanimous decision, no joy that the war would be ending soon, merely a silent resolve that none wished to speak about. Captain Power nodded and placed a gentle hand on his friends' shoulders in thanks. "Prep the jumpship and plot a course using maps circa 1996 for Angel Grove. We leave at nightfall as to lower our visibility, our screens should protect us from any detection systems this century might have." He said, all business, the snap of command back in his voice.

"How are we going to find this guy sir?" Scout asked.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get to it Scout. For now, let's get ready to get out of here." Power replied. This is for you Jennifer, I love you so much, he thought to himself as he made preparations to leave.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Tommy couldn't say how long he sat in the hospital waiting room; time seemed to just slip away like quicksilver. He hadn't even bothered with trying to get himself cleaned up. Instead, he alternated between staring blankly at the walls and holding his head in hands. The rest of his friends who were the Power Rangers joined him in the waiting room. They tried to console him but found that it was better to let Tommy have his space and to just be there for moral support.

Kat Hillard, the fifth ranger and Tommy's love interest came into the waiting room. "Tommy, thank God you're alright!" She said rushing up and embracing him in a tight hug. The lilt of her Australian accent usually never failed to comfort him but this time Tommy was too far gone in his sadness. She hugged the rest of the team except for Adam who was away and got the lowdown from Tanya.

Adam returned a short while later. Like Tommy, he was interning at the hospital for the summer for recommendations to get into college as an orderly. Kat saw him and gave him a hug and kiss on the cheek. He gathered the rest of the Rangers together in the waiting room. Tommy stood up and took a deep breath, fearing the worst. "Guys, it looks like Dr. Taggart is going to be okay. I just got word from post-op and though he sustained some bad injuries, the doctors were able to stabilize him."

A cheer went up from the Rangers and Tommy looked visibly relieved. "Aw man, that's so great to hear. I was so worried; if only I'd…"

"Tommy, it wasn't your fault that he got hurt, the blame falls squarely on King Mondo!" Kat said, putting her arm around her boyfriend.

"She's right Tommy. You did everything you could to protect Dr. Taggart and that laser that the Cogs were apparently after. It was unfortunate and I hate to say this but sometimes, things like this happen." Rocky chimed in. The rest of the group nodded and mouthed their agreements.

It didn't make Tommy feel much better but it would do as far as he was concerned. He didn't say anything but instead nodded slowly. "You should go home and get some rest Tommy; I'll call you if there's any more news." Adam said.

Though he was reluctant, Tommy slowly nodded in agreement, his exhaustion finally starting to catch up with him. "C'mon, I'll give you a ride home." Kat said, draping her arm around him and leading him toward the elevators. He moved like an old man and his state wasn't lost on his teammates.

"Aw man, Tommy is really taking this hard." Rocky said. Adam and Tanya nodded solemnly.

"I wish there was something we can do to help him." Tanya chimed in.

"All we can be is there for him. You guys should go home too. I'll call everybody if anything changes okay?" Adam replied. They hated to admit it but they were tired of being at the hospital and wanted very much to just chill out. None of them were even thinking about the zombie movie at that point.

Meanwhile back on the jumpship which was nestled high in the Angel Grove Mountains, Captain Power and the rest of the team was busy researching Peter Taggart. Mentor had tapped into the city's computers compiling any and all information about their quarry. Each member had thrown themselves into their task but all still had lingering reservations with the exception of Captain Power who was totally committed.

Hawk had the most apprehensions about their quest but he kept quiet. John did make perfect sense; if there _was _a way to save his boy, what kind of a fool would he be to not take it. Still, he was a soldier and there was difference between combat and murder. The line on this mission was so vague that…. He shook the thoughts out of his mind as a beeping from Mentor indicated that his search was complete.

"Got him!" Hawk exclaimed as he pulled up the information. "It says here that Dr. Peter Taggart was injured in an attack at his laboratory. It doesn't mention who attacked him or why but apparently, he was working on some kind of revolutionary laser so I'd guess that was the motive. He's being treated at Angel Grove County General Hospital which is more or less in the center of town."

Captain Power leaned back in his command chair as he decided on a plan of action. "Gentlemen, I don't need to tell you that this is the biggest mission we've ever had to undertake and the stakes are the highest we've ever known. I know we all have some misgivings about this mission so if anyone wants to back out, now's the time." When nobody piped up, Power slowly nodded.

"Okay then, here's the plan…."

Adam Park made his rounds in the hospital, cleaning up rooms and making sure every piece of equipment was accounted for. He had an eye for detail that served him well in this job and he found it suited his calm demeanor. For the most part, the patients and staff at the hospital were friendly and he wasn't chained to a desk as he got to move around. He found that he couldn't ask for too much more than that.

He went to check on Mrs. O'Leary who was having a kidney removed. She was a kindly old lady who said that he reminded her of her own son. "How are you this evening Mrs. O'Leary?" He asked as he smoothed a blanket around her legs.

"Oh just fine dear boy, just fine. A boy your age shouldn't be cooped up around us old codgers. You should be out with your friends tonight! It's a nice night."

Adam had to smile at that. "Well maybe tomorrow perhaps. If you need anything, don't hesitate to hit the call button. I or any of the nurses will be here right away, otherwise, good night." She waved goodbye to him as he closed the door. Smiling he strolled up the hallway toward the intensive care unit, whistling a lively tune.

Something struck him as funny as he saw a doctor going into Dr. Taggart's room. What was funny was that Adam had never seen this doctor before. He was young, in about his early to mid-twenties, black with long hair. His appearance didn't strike him as overtly odd but Adam had to question why Dr. Taggart was being checked on when he just looked on the patient not more than five minutes ago. Going with him, actually taking the lead was a tall man, with black hair cut in a semi-military style hair cut. The strides he took were purposeful. Also, the group of doctors hanging around at various points of the ICU also struck him as funny.

"Excuse me doctor, may I help you?" Adam asked walking up rapidly.

"Uh…no, we're fine here, thanks." Scout replied as nonchalantly as he could manage. He was getting the heebie jeebies just standing there. All he wanted was to get this over quick.

Sensing something was not right, Adam tried to bar the entrance into the room. "I don't recognize you four here, are you new? I just checked on the patient five minutes ago, he should be fine."

Power also sensed something; he sensed that the jig was up. "I don't have time for this!" He said, grabbing a very surprised Adam. "Scout, do it!" He called over his shoulder. "Relax kid, nobody's going to hurt you.

Panic started to set in as he saw the man referred to as Scout approach the unconscious form of Dr. Taggart. Using his martial arts skills, he twisted out of the man's grasp only to be surprised that the man regained his grip. "Sorry to do this!" Adam said before planting a standing drop kick into Power's chest. Power stumbled back and hit the wall, the wind knocked out of him. Never stopping his motion, Adam yanked the fire alarm and proceeded into the room. He threw a flying kick at Scout, knocking him against the wall.

Regaining himself in moments, Scout stood back on his feet. "You idiot, do you realize what you've done?" He snarled at the Adam. Meanwhile the orderly in front of him broke into a defensive stance. Scout could tell he had training but didn't care. Anger and fear guided his actions. The two punched and kicked at each other, both blocking and countering each strike given. Finally, Scout scored a lucky shot that caught Adam flush across the jaw, sending him reeling into a nearby chair.

"Scout, we've got to get out of here, mission aborted!" Captain Power called from the hallway. Scout was about to finish what he started but realized that the orderly would be too much of an obstruction and killing him was out of the question. Instead he ran down the corridor with the rest of his team.

Rubbing his jaw, Adam staggered slightly on wobbly legs toward the bed. He checked Dr. Taggart's vitals and breathed a sigh of relief when he found nothing had changed. "Somebody's gotta stop those guys!" He said as he ran out of the room. Patients and nurses were coming out of their rooms, confused as to what was going on. "Someone just tried to attack Dr. Taggart, call for help!" Adam said to a nurse while on the run.

Outside, the quartet was mere feet from their hoverbikes when police cars came rolling up. "Freeze!" came the cry from one of the cops.

"What do we do now Captain?" Tank asked.

Power withdrew his blaster and on cue, so did the rest of the team. "No casualties, just property damage, drive them back and away!" he said as he took aim at the nearest cop car. One singular blast and the hood flew thirty feet into the air as the engine block shattered. The cops in that car ran away just in time as it exploded. They then returned fire which caused the team to duck.

"No good, we're pinned down!" Hawk said, firing at another car and exploding it.

"Then we have no choice, we have to armor up and make a break for it!" Power said to which the others nodded. In unison, they touched their right fists to the patch on the left side of their uniforms and said "Power on!" In a flash of light and crackling energy, they were clad in their armored forms; walking arsenals of nearly unlimited power. The bullets bounced off them harmlessly as they went for their hoverbikes.

This transformation was not lost on Adam who saw the whole thing. He was still in shock but his mind got over it quickly as he realized what he had to do. "Guys, I'm gonna need you down here as soon as possible, got no time to explain!" He said on his wrist communicator. From thin air, his morphers appeared on his wrists. "It's morphin' time!" He called as he clashed his wrists together and brought them down to his sides initiating the transformation process. "Zeo Ranger four, Green!" he shouted. In a shimmering of energy, he transformed into his green clad alter-ego the Green Ranger and second in command of the Power Rangers.

Outside, the police and citizens screamed as Captain Power and his team laid down harassing fire. Their shots were perfectly accurate so no one got hurt but there was nothing they could do about the panic they were causing. Captain Power regretted that but couldn't see any alternative until they got out of there. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a laser beam flash past him. He whirled around to find a man clad seemingly in green spandex and helmet with a rectangular visor holding a laser pistol at them.

"That's far enough guys. I don't know who you are, what you're doing or why but I'm taking you down!" The Green Ranger said. Adam charged, firing his laser pistol at the Soldiers of the Future. His shots were wide, firing on the run and they gave the more experienced gunfighters time to get cover.

"Is this guy for real? " Hawk asked incredulously.

"I don't know but that blaster he's using _is _so don't take him lightly!" Power replied. As if to emphasize his point, Scout staggered backward from a direct hit by Adam's blaster.

It was then they realized that, the Green Zeo Ranger's shots were merely meant to get Power's group confused so he could close the distance. With leap that covered tens of yards, Adam leapt into the middle of the group. "Zeo Hatchets!" Adam exclaimed and from thin air, green, metallic hatchets appeared in his hands. He was a whirlwind of strikes, making Power's group duck, dive and dash for distance. They were too close to use their blasters and Power realized that he was dealing with a canny foe.

Adam kicked at Hawk, knocking him down while making Power leap backward out of the way of his slash. He swung at Tank, the big, hulking, armored giant but his hatchet was parried by the barrel of Tank's heavy duty laser cannon. With a speed that defied his size, a super-strong hand snaked out and gripped Adam by the throat. His feet flailing off the ground, Adam struggled to create distance from his attacker but couldn't get the leverage to swing his hatchet.

"Don't go away mad, just go away!" Tank bellowed as he tossed Adam thirty feet into the air. A silent cue from Tank borne from years of working together, Hawk targeted Adam and fired his blaster, scoring a perfect shot at his chest. A shower of sparks and a scream from the Green Zeo Ranger told that Hawk that he hit his mark. Adam slammed to the ground hard, clutching at himself. "It looks like whatever he's wearing is some sort of armor." Tank noted. "Good shot by the way Hawk."

"Thanks" came the sardonic reply from Hawk.

Soon, the other four rangers showed up on their Zeo Bikes. Tommy was the first off his bike and helped Adam to his feet. "Sorry about the delay Adam, looks like the teleporters are down!" Tommy said, with a gesture for emphasis. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine but these guys won't be!"

"Great, this day has gone from bad to worse." Captain Power muttered, sensing that he truly had a fight on his hands.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: **

Downtown Angel Grove suddenly became a warzone! The Zeo Power Rangers and The Soldiers of the Future were locked in pitched battle; lasers flashed everywhere lighting up the very sky like a deadly lightshow. "Hawk take off, we need air support!" Captain Power exclaimed to his second in command. With a nod of acknowledgement, Hawk took to the skies, his jetpack's engines screaming as he gained altitude quickly.

Below, the Rangers gazed up at the sky in shock. "They can fly?" Rocky the blue Zeo Ranger exclaimed. Before anyone could give him an answer, Rocky was struck down by a high-impact energy blast courtesy of Tank. Rocky went flying with a scream. He collided with a nearby car, denting it.

"Rocky!" Tanya exclaimed as she ran to her fallen friend. She helped him to his feet and saw that the chest of his costume was smoldering.

"I'm okay Tanya, that's what I get for getting distracted and making myself a target!" Rocky said his voice still a little shaky.

Meanwhile, Adam somersaulted behind the Soldier's defensive line. "Let's try this again!" He said in mid-leap. "You're gonna pay for hurting my friend!" He said as he landed a powerful kick to Tank's chest, staggering him.

"Didn't learn from last time did you?" Tank said as he swung a huge fist at Adam the green Zeo Ranger's head. Adam managed to duck the blow in time but couldn't help but marvel as Tank's fist smashed into a wall, creating a very large hole where his head would've been.

It was Power's turn to be distracted; he went to help Tank when out of the corner of his eye; he saw the rest of the Power Rangers, run toward his position screaming, weapons drawn. "They're attacking us with swords?" he said incredulously. "Team, split up take em down one on one!" He said as he started running, firing as he went. The others nodded including Tank though he had his hands full at the moment.

As the Rangers started running after their foes, they'd forgotten about Hawk and the airborne Soldier of the Future took advantage. "Let's see how you like this!" He said as he launched a missile. The projectile hit the ground in the midst of where the Rangers were standing. The explosion sent them scattering through the air like leaves caught in a tempest. Hawk smiled to himself as he turned around for another pass. "Not bad for an old man" he murmured.

"This guy's mine! He _is_ blue like me after all!" Rocky exclaimed as he withdrew his zeo-blaster. He fired at Hawk which the airborne warrior deftly dodged. "Darn it, I missed!" Snarling in anger though under his helmet, Rocky jumped on his bike and charged off after Hawk. "We gotta take these guys down!" he said to himself as he leaned on the throttle of the bike. The front wheel lifted off the ground coinciding with the roar of the high performance engine. Streamers of smoke still trailed off of his uniform from Hawk's missile hit as he gunned the bike. "Activate jet boosters!" Rocky exclaimed as the bike hit an incline and went airborne. The bike's boosters carried him high into the air; his augmented strength did the rest as he leapt from the bike.

From high above, Hawk circled around for another pass, making sure that he was high enough that ground fire was inaccurate against him. "Dammit John, what did you get us into?" Hawk said to himself though he'd been thinking it over and over. A shape caught his attention from the corner of his eye. "What the hell…" he began before he was tackled by the Blue Zeo Ranger.

They began their death plunge from at least five thousand feet. Even in their plummet, they fought like two enraged dogs over a bone. "Are you crazy? You're gonna kill us both!" Hawk exclaimed as he struggled to right himself and gain altitude.

"I don't care, after the damage you've caused, you've gotta go down!" Rocky retorted. "It's gotta be that way!"

Armored fist clashed against armored helmet as their altitude decreased with each heart-stopping second. Finally their descent ended when they smashed through the roof of an abandoned warehouse three blocks from the hospital. As their inert forms lay still, their respective uniforms of power faded away in a shimmering energy. They lay there three feet away from each other unconscious but alive and most certainly out of the fight.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7:**

On the other side of town, Kat and Tanya walked side by side down a dark, misty alleyway. "Keep your eyes open Tanya, he could be anywhere." Kat said, the tentative tone of her voice not lost on her friend.

"You got it Kat." Tanya replied. She had her Zeo blaster withdrawn while Kat had her Zeo blade in her hand.

Lying on the ground was a homeless man, scrunched up in a corner. There were very few homeless in Angel Grove; in that regard, Angel Grove was luckier than other cities but to Kat and Tanya, one was more than enough to make them feel sad. On their off times from their respective jobs, they went to the homeless shelter to do what they could but that did nothing to stem the feeling of helplessness that they felt.

"You should get off of the street, there's a dangerous villain around." Kat said to the homeless man. "It's not safe out here right now." The homeless man nodded incoherently which made her heart sink. She hoped that he wasn't drunk nor had mental problems but experience had told her that it was an affliction common enough among the homeless that she had to at least consider the possibility.

She sighed and nodded to Tanya. Even though their helmets masked their features, they could sense what the other was thinking. They began to move on when they both heard something clatter to the hard ground. Kat turned to her left to see an oblong, cylindrical object not more than two feet away from her.

"Sorry ladies." They both heard a voice from behind them say. They whirled around to see the homeless man suddenly morph into the Soldier of Future known as Scout right before their eyes. He dived behind a dumpster while their minds were still trying to process what was going on.

A split second later, the bomb exploded sending Kat and Tanya through the nearby brick wall screaming. Scout peeked his head from behind the dumpster cautiously with his blaster drawn. "I'd better be careful, I'm pretty sure they don't go down hard" Scout thought to himself as he approached the hole cautiously. For all of his life, he'd fought the machines; he never, ever dreamed he'd be forced to use his guerilla training against humans and it sickened him. Still, besides the Bio-Dreads, these "Power Rangers" were the toughest foe he'd ever faced; he couldn't afford to go easy on them even if what he downed were a couple of women, not if him and his team could prevent the hell that he fought against daily in his time.

The tip of Scout's blaster was the first thing in the hole before he peered in. His heart beat in triple time as his helmet's scanners, surveyed the dark interior of the building. He saw beautiful young, blonde girl laying in the rubble unconscious. "Where's the other one?" Scout said with slight panic in his voice. His training kicked in and used the fear as an adrenaline boost. His senses became sharper as the line between life and death literally became blurred.

"Slow down, I have to confirm the kill" he said to himself, remembering his training as he lifted himself into the hole. Using the word "kill" bothered him, especially when it came to fellow humans. He was glad that she was unconscious; he doubted that he could live with the death of a human on his conscious. Even if he could, he knew that he wouldn't want to.

Movement from behind him caused him to whirl around, firing his blaster in all directions. A blast hit him full in the chest causing him to stagger back. He looked up in surprise to find, Tanya the Yellow Zeo Ranger dropping to the ground in front of him. "You're going to pay for that you creep!" She said. It was only luck that she was far enough from the blast and that Kat shielded her from the explosive.

"Looks like I'm not the only one that fights sneaky." Scout smirked with some admiration in his voice.

She charged at him yelling, firing her Zeo blaster. He answered in kind, mimicking her movement, firing his blaster. They both hit each other repeatedly, sparks spraying everywhere, intermittently lighting up the dark interior of the building. Both warriors hit each other with a final shot from each other's weapons. Both of them flew back against to the ground, their chests smoldering. Their powered uniforms faded as they both lay still. Scout was the only one with the fortitude to sit up albeit painfully. I'm…sorry kid." He managed to grunt before he fell back to the ground. _This can't be right, these are good people but if it saves the future….saves Jennifer…_His thoughts suddenly became scattershot, then blank before blessed, black unconsciousness claimed both warriors.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8:**

Unaware of the status of his other teammates, Adam was still locked in pitched battle with the gigantic powerhouse known as Tank. Tank fired his heavy cannon at the Green Zeo Ranger narrowly missing each shot. "Damn but this guy is agile!" He said out loud as he squeezed off more shots. A blast from Tank's cannon hit a tree which Adam narrowly avoided being crushed by.

Simultaneously, both of them noticed the damage being done to the surroundings, each had differing reactions to the results. While Tank was feeling deep regret, Adam snarled, "You're destroying my city you monster!" Though furious, the logical part of his brain knew he was outgunned and outmuscled and without the other Rangers to assist, he'd have to improvise. "Close combat doesn't work, I'm just beating myself to oblivion against this monster and the Zeo blaster isn't putting him down, I need more power!" Whipping out his Zeo blade, he combined it with his Zeo blaster to give his weapon more range and more power. As Tank got set to fire another blast at Adam, the Green Zeo Ranger was the one who claimed the initiative. "_Morphinominal!" _He cried out as his blast made his foe lose his footing and slam into a car with a shower of sparks.

Tank groaned as he climbed to his feet. He staggered on shaky legs as he leaned against a car for support. "This doesn't have to go on like this!" He said in his thick accent.

"You're right it doesn't, it'll end when you surrender!" Adam countered as he advanced a few steps with his blaster at the ready. "Don't try anything funny neither; It's obvious you don't have much left."

The Soldier of the Future shook his head with a mixture of disdain and pity. He knew it was next to useless explaining to his foe why he was doing what he was doing. "I have my orders!" He barked out as he stumbled into the hospital.

"No, don't!" Adam yelled as he chased after him. He found out much too late that it was a sucker ploy by Tank. The huge armored fist caught Adam full in the face causing him to fly back and skid across the ground. "Of all the dirty things…"Adam groaned as he stood back up. Though his opponent was worse for wear, he wasn't in much better shape.

"I can't surrender stranger, the future depends on our success but I know you'll never understand that." Tank began while cracking his knuckles. "I also know you'll never stop trying to stop me so I propose we end this here and now."

The Green Ranger liked the sound of that but at the same time; his opponents words caught his attention. "Wait, you said you're from the future and your actions would save it? How? Why don't you talk and let me try to help you instead of this fighting?"

In response, Tank shook his head. "I see the character you possess and what we have to do, you just can't do. I doubt you could help me kill a man could you?"

It was abhorrent to Adam to even consider Tank's words. "If you're talking about murder then it's no deal! The Power Rangers don't kill under any circumstances!"

He had to admit, he liked his green foe; Tank and his friends' mission back in the future was much the same though he'd had to kill his fair share of people no matter how much it disgusted him to do it. His time on Babylon 5, raised and enhanced to become a killing machine had ironically taught him the value of human life but he was pragmatic enough to know that sometimes, there was no choice no matter how much he wished otherwise. The Captain's logic coincided with his own feelings; if one man's life would save _billions_…..

Shrugging at Adam's comment he said, "Well 'Power Ranger,' I guess that we have no choice then. I can't let you stop me even though I wish you would." Tank pulled out his combat knife, his stomach feeling queasy at what he knew he had to do. "Just to let you know, I take _no pleasure _in this."

Putting away his blaster and withdrawing his power axes, Adam clenched his fist in righteous fury. "Though you're wrong for doing this, you seem like an honorable man. Still, you've caused enough damage here today and it's _got _to end!"

The two charged at each other, growling with each successive step. As Tank's suit screamed at him that his power levels were at fifteen percent, Adam felt his own strength flagging. They both concentrated on focusing all of their power on one decisive blow. _For the sake of Angel Grove, maybe the world, I've gotta put this monster down! _Adam thought as he charged, the background becoming a blur.

_I've got to complete the mission; I can't let this guy beat me! _Tank thought alternately, his heavy footsteps shaking the very earth as he lumbered forward. _It all comes down to who wants it more and I can't imagine that he has more to lose than I do. _

Indeed, it did come down to who wanted it more but neither of them was willing to yield an inch in ground or ideals. The two collided in a shower of sparks that lit up the night sky. Both of them yelled out in a scream of agony. They both stood with their backs to each other breathing hard. Tank was the first to drop, his armor fading away into nothingness and his large frame collapsing to the ground. "I…I did…it." Adam said before dropping to his knees. With his own powers drained, his uniform and weapons also disappeared and he too fell unconscious. The wind swirled around, causing the intermittent fires to rise to the sky; it also tugged at the two inert warriors' clothes. There was no sound but their shallow breathing, the crackling fires and the wind.


End file.
